A Ho! Ho! Ho! And a He! He! He! Ha!

Let's feast our eyes a while before attacking the repast on the "Day"! I'm whetting our appetites in readiness.

An Aussie Christmas is not Christmas without a collation of fresh seafood, in my opinion. Long gone are the days when I slaved for hours over a hot stove to produce the "traditional" fare to hungry hordes around my Christmas table. A "traditional" feast handed down by our Scottish, Irish and, in some cases, but not mine, English forefathers that is so, so wrong for our Christmas temperatures!

I've friends coming over on Christmas morning for drinks and tasty hors-d'oeuvres. Some will be staying on for a leisurely luncheon, which shall linger long into the afternoon through to dusk. No doubt by now you've guessed I'm having a scrumptious banquet of succulent seafood to be followed by a mixed berry Pavlova, a Sacha Torte, and of course, over to the side a rich fruit cake (which I've already made and have been "topping up" over the past few weeks), just in case we have any room left while we sip on coffee and liqueurs! Oh! Did I mention a variety of dark chocolate truffles and chocolate-coated ginger that will accompany the coffee?

As usual, I've broken my promise to myself. I had planned not to plan anything for Christmas, however the fever surreptitiously grabbed hold of me when I wasn't looking and was weak of mind and will. The above is the result!

It's been a year of ups and downs, more downs than I needed or wanted, I think. So I figured, "what the hell", I may as well go out with a bang, forgetting the bad (and those who caused it!), concentrating on the good with my eyes, heart and mind keenly on the future.

I'm starting a new job shortly, so that's a huge plus. With that in mind and on hand, my time for blogging will be very limited, at least for a while.

As much as I tried to escape pre-Christmas celebrations, I have failed and am failing miserably (read "happily", I guess!). Already I've succumbed to four celebratory gatherings with more to come over the next couple of weeks. And I've not even mentioned New Year yet! There's life in this old bird yet, it would appear! Ask me again around the second day of 2008 and I may answer differently!

All is good in this neck of the woods. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful time with your families and friends. And may 2008 be kind to us all, bringing peace, good health ,and a little prosperity thrown in for good measure.

I'll leave you with a few fine words. When you hear the corks a-popping at the stroke of midnight farewelling 2007 while heralding in 2008, know that amongst that sound will be some of mine! "Here's to your top, here's to your middle, may you get a "liddle!"'

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of Auld Lang Syne.

Chorus: For Auld Lang Syne, my dear,
for Auld Lang Syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet
for Auld Lang Syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

Chorus

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.

Chorus

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd.
Sin' auld lang syne.

Chorus

And there's a hand, my trusty fere!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak' a right gude willie-waught,
For auld lang syne.